Brimfield Toasts Strongest
Season in Years
June 15, 2010
BRIMFIELD, Mass. The Brimfield
Antiques and Flea Market Show toasted its strongest
season in years May 15. Informally known as the "Mecca"
of antiquing, the once half-acre collector's fair
now welcomes 5,000 nationwide dealers each year.
"Brimfield is the
closest thing the antiques business has to a trade
show," said Chuck Schneider of Carver, Mass.,
a 30-year collector and Brimfield seller. Like many
dealers, Schneider said he was having his best week
in recent memory. "A lot of mid-20th century
garden tools ($5-$20) and Pyrex bowls ($5-10) have
been selling great," he said.
In the 51 years since the Reid
family opened Brimfield in 1959, the market has poured
across a one-mile stretch of country road featuring
21 unique vendors. Weeklong shows operate annually
in May, July and September. Buyers peruse items ranging
from 19th century Dresden to contemporary art.
The original J&J Promotions
Field is still a buyer and seller favorite. "I've
been here on-and-off for 30 years, and I've always
been at J&J," said Doris Myers of Georgetown,
Mass. Myers specializes in primitives and porcelains.
"The quality at J&J is very strong,"
she said. "Also, when you stay in the same place
for a long enough time, people start to know who you
are and where to look for you."
Fellow dealer Janis Eldridge
of Springfield, Mass., agreed. "I like seeing
the same people come back," she said. Eldridge
specializes in glassware and kitchen tools. Her pieces
included early 20th century sugar shakers ($25-$50).
Both women noted they were selling better than normal.
"I'm not sure if it's the nice weather, or just
that times are improving [economically]," Eldridge
said. "But everything's been selling well, especially
the glassware."
Gary Lickver of San Marcos,
Ca., makes his living doing cross-country shows. "Brimfield
is a favorite because there's always a good mix of
offerings, and a lot of people," he said. Lickver
specializes in cut glass, Van Briggle and Roseville
pottery. He also boasts a sizeable collection of early
20th century Carnival glass ($75-$125).
"Carnival" is
an apt term to describe the show itself. Brimfield's
air of festivus carries the rare and unusual. A highlight
of Sue Mesick's booth was a late 18th century Veuve
Perrin inkwell ($325). The West Brookfield, Mass.
resident acquired the mint French piece at a New England
antique shop. "It's not something you see every
day," she said.
Mesick has been buying and selling
at Brimfield for years. It was also the place she
met her American husband. "You never know where
the [antiques] business will take you!" she said
with a laugh.
Buyers can also discover plenty
of quirky finds at Brimfield, from a vintage Pillsbury
Doughboy Doll ($8) to college sports memorabilia.
Sport & Spool Antiques owners Doug and Diane McElwain
of Goldsboro, NC are first-time Brimfield dealers.
"We've come in the past as buyers and now we're
sellers," Doug McElwain said.
In addition to vintage college
flags, photographs and sports equipment ($65-$150),
the McElwains sell spools and sewing equipment at
cross-country shows and through their online store.
"We've had a great time at Brimfield so far,"
Diane McElwain said.
Another popular Brimfield show
is New England Motel, inviting visitors to check out
antique advertising, vintage clothing and Pillin pottery.
Fred Glogower of Silver Spring, Md. specializes in
vintage Die Cuts, prints and posters. "My collection
goes back as far as the 1890s," he said. "I
look for things that people can afford." In addition
to James Dean-era Die Cuts of chocolate milkshakes
($3) that looked good enough to eat, Glogower had
a collection of 1960s Zodiac posters ($12 each). "I've
sold a few signs," he said with a wink.
Vic and Maxine Weitz of Brooksville,
Fla., owners of Vimax Antiques, specialize in American
art pottery. "The Pillin and Rookwood ($425-$1,200)
has been selling well, as have the Maxfield Parrish
prints ($425-$525)," Vic Weitz said. The Weitzes
said they focus on finding pieces in nothing less
than mint condition. "It's our second year at
Brimfield and we've been really enjoying it so far,"
Vic Weitz said.
Many visitors were hooked on
Gary Durow's booth, literally overflowing with canes.
Durow, of Okemos, Mich., is an international cane
dealer and collector. "It all started when I
was at an estate sale in Michigan many years ago,"
Durow said. "I bought a Teddy Roosevelt head
cane with glass eyes for $5, and I haven't stopped
since."
In addition to the well-known
walking cane, collectors vie for the best-preserved
gadget, gun, doctor and sword canes, among dozens
of other kinds. Gadget canes double as clever novelties.
One of Durow's favorites is a Rabbi cane in which
the head is actually a squirt gun. Physicians used
doctor's canes to store medicine on home visits. Sword
and gun canes contain weapons. Durow's most valuable
cane actually revealed a playable violin; he sold
it for $20,000. "The invention of the automobile
pretty much ended things for canes," Durow said.
"There wasn't really room to store them."
At Brimfield, Durow's canes, made from every conceivable
material including glass and 14-carat gold, ranged
$75-$1,200.
Adjacent to Durow's booth was
Michael and Lena Fedorovosky's, featuring equally
high-end pieces. The couple concentrate in Russian
folk art. Pieces included icons ($700-$900), Russian
Lacquer Boxes ($325-$575) and Russian enamel spoons
and salts ($800-$1,200). Based in Baltimore, Md.,
the collectors own Imperial Heritage, a shop specializing
in Russian fine art.
Jeff Spear of Marietta, Ohio
owns the 40-year family operated Riverview Antiques
Shop, also located in Marietta. Spear collects glassware,
silver, porcelain and furniture. His pieces included
a Turkish samovar ($325) and a glass apothecary bottle
($110) with an unusual story. "Both my father
and grandfather were pharmacists," Spear said.
"They told me the history." At the turn
of the 20th century, pharmacists often filled apothecary
bottles with different colored fluids to warn people
of any major illnesses sweeping town. "Green,
for example, meant Cholera," Spear said.
In addition to listening to
the lore of times past, no trip to Brimfield is complete
without dealer anecdotes of celebrity collectors.
Mary Arciprete of Huntington, NY specializes in antique
cookware. The longtime Brimfield dealer has sold cookie
cutters to actress/director Penny Marshall and cast-iron
pie tins to the doyenne of domesticity herself: Martha
Stewart. "Cookware has a timeless appeal because
it's both decorative and, in many cases, still usable,"
Arciprete said. The 30-year collector's booth also
included vintage Zenith radios ($85-$125). "They're
perfect for someone who would want to refurbish them,"
she said. "They can become someone's treasure."
Brimfield, she added, is the ultimate "treasure
hunt."
Brimfield is the largest
outdoor antiques event in New England, located on
Route 20 in Brimfield, Mass. The next show dates are
July 13-18 and September 7-12. Food vendors and restroom
facilities are available on site. Admission is generally
$5. All-day off-street parking ranges from $3-$10.
Shows generally open at sunrise and close between
five and six p.m. To learn more, visit www.Brimfield.com.
Brimfield
Toasts Strongest Season in Years
